Before the beginning of the year I would go to work come home 8ish and a quiet night 4 pints. Over the weekend 14-16. Now thanks to having to stay at home with a laptop it's been ~6 pints weekdays and that's restraining it because I get so annoyingly lonely and fed up by 4pm I want to grab a beer. Weekends though have stayed the same. My doctor before this wasn't bothered I drank 75 units a week. Now using an app it's around the 100 mark over 4 months and after reading some articles about liver disease on 3 bottles of wine a week I'm worried alot of people like myself will get ill because of the effects of lockdown on alcohol consumption. For the record about 10 months ago I had a liver stiffness of 4.3kpa, 0.3iqr when I was 2 stone heavier. She says it was my weight. Cheers guys and gals!
How much has lockdown increased your a... - British Liver Trust
How much has lockdown increased your alcohol consumption?
Most folks on here who have alcohol as an issue are looking to amend their lifestyle as it has usually brought them to a point where their liver has become very poorly.
If you are drinking 100 units a week that is 7+ times the recommended weekly limit of 14 units max and you are potentially storing up a whole heap of trouble for the future.
As the carer of a beloved hubby who has cirrhosis despite being life long t-total you do not want to sustain any liver damage and should seriously consider your relationship with the booze - it is trouble waiting to happen at those levels of consumption.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
Try and find an alternative outlet to your boredom, you're allowed to exercise, take a break from your computer and get out for some fresh air, exercise and boost your endorphins that way. Trust me you don't want the alternative.
Katie
Blimey that's terrible - cirrhosis would be the last thing I'd expect if I was t-total! I guess if my gp isn't concerned but talking to people like you who actually are affected by it say I will need to get a lockdown punching in the garage so I can hit that instead of the beers during the week. It will be tough and require alot of will power. Best regards Katie
Yes, unfortunately there are many more reasons to developing cirrhosis than booze, in hubbies case it's auto immune and there was no stopping it until it reached decompensated stage as he never even knew there was anything going on inside him and sadly that is the nature of liver disease, it is often silent till it really bites you on the butt. Please do take heed, it is something you want to avoid at all costs - your liver is a valuable item, it does 500 different jobs and when it starts to go wrong it shuts down all sorts of those functions. As a young guy you don't want to lose a lot of those functions.
Look after yourself
Katie
Early on in the lockdown the BLT released the following regarding booze during the lockdown.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/pe...
Thanks for sharing this Katie, you beat me to it!
Your GP would be bothered about the 75 units. Bear in mind the increased cancer risk too which is the main driver for the 14 unit weekly limit.
alcoholchange.org.uk/alcoho...
I used to drink 70 units a week. That’s already a shocking amount, and I was clearly dependent. The only solution, and by miles the best one, was to quit totally. I will admit, though, that I would’ve drunk more during lockdown if I hadn’t quit. You need to think seriously about quitting as I really doubt you’ll be able to cut down in the long term. My life got way better, surprisingly so, after I quit, so there’s no reason why yours shouldn’t too.
Hello and welcome to our forum,
You may wish to try to speak to another GP regarding your alcohol intake. As the other members have already said, you are drinking at very high levels that will start to impact your liver and general health in time.
If you are, or have ever been, alcohol dependent or an alcoholic, discuss this with your doctor. In these circumstances it is important to get medical help to give up drinking, as stopping suddenly can, in some cases, lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, including hallucinations and seizures.
Here is our publication 'Alcohol and liver disease' to have a read....
Lockdown, lock-in, lockout, it’s too warm, it’s raining. There is always an excuse why you deserve that extra drink.
You claim that you were honest with your GP, but it’s doubtful that they wouldn’t have red flagged the danger of drinking 75+ units a week.
Well done for losing the weight, a positive step in the right direction. Your liver is still functioning well, if you address the excessive amount of alcohol, it will probably stay that way.
Keep up the good work.
Some wise words from you guys thanks. I will aim for now to stay sober during the week as it does affect my work performance sometimes. That should cut out about 65 units. If I dont binge at the weekend then I can shed another 15 units. Going to be tough!
It’s a start in the right direction. As you say, it will be tough. I tried it and always crept back up to 40 units or so.
I know someone who’s as dependent on alcohol as I ever was, but he has a routine in place to stick religiously to 14 units a week. So he wolfs down his weekly quota within 3 or 4 days, and then sits on his hands fretting until the new week starts. That’s not a life, and it’s not sustainable. Also the amount of effort he puts into his routine, if he saw sense, quit drinking and directed that determination into something worthwhile, he could probably do almost anything.
Did you get a Cap score?
No I didn't actually I just got the stiffness results. It was actually done by a free road show event called 'love your liver' I think funded by the British liver trust. I would expect would have indicated a fatty liver as my BMI was over 29 and because if alcohol.
In summary, lockdown represents a risk factor for increasing alcohol consumption in people with alcohol use disorders and relapse for those who were previously abstinent. Those who do relapse are at a high risk of harmful drinking and require a tailored approach for follow-up and intervention.
Hello, I’ve been in a similar situation as you’re in. After work I would drink every day except when too sick and hung over. Drinking was the reward for everything, the consolation for loneliness and disappointment, fun, boredom, you name it. Bottom line, there is no “safe” pattern to the one you currently have.
I used to think I would have a boring life without alcohol, but now I am living healthy with a family of my own. Every morning, I would pray to resist temptation. I didn’t quit cold turkey but one thing that really helped was the word “consequence”. Do I really want to play around with this turning into something more serious? Do I really want a life of isolation because I choose alcohol above everything else?
I’m begging you, I’ve been there and the best way is to find other things to fulfill your need for consolation (mine is healthy lifestyle now 😃), and don’t try to do it alone. I told myself for YEARS: Ok, I’ll just drink a six pack, but always ended going back out 3 or 4 times to get more, or; I’ll just have 2 bottles of wine, but ended up going back out and drinking 5 or 6, or I’ll just have a “few” drinks, and ended up drinking the whole fifth of vodka.
If I can do it, you can too! Stay positive and encourage. Do t be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t pray, try it. And of course this forum is full of amazing people who have been there, are here with you, and believe in you!
Be safe ❤️
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